Why Do I Feel So Alone?
by xTamx
Summary: My first fic! Set 5 years after the Eternity code, Artemis finally begins to regain his memory and a new opponent has appeared. Chapter 9 is up! PG-13 Rating is for occasional language and mayyybe some relationship later. R&R please!
1. Return of Arty

Hi. WOOHOO my first fic. Kinda crappy probably but aaah well. I only wrote it cos my internet mucked up and I had nothing else to do but type something. So I decided to start a fic of my own to post when my internets back up again. So here's the fic.... more to come. lol. I'll try and upsate soon cos I think i'll probable be really bored this weekend cos I have a big cold and cant be bothered to go out. lol. So urrr if you read this and you do like it *disbelieving gasps come from the crowds* then i'll update soon. One last thing before I post the actual fic: I'm only 13 ((14 in two weeks woohoo!!!)) so sorry about the spelling and grammar mistakes and about the uses of any immiture or childish words. lol Please R&R!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Probably heard this a billion times before from other people but----- I own nothing in this fic ((unless I post a new char later)). All the characters are officially Eoin Colfer's and I wouldn't have it any other way and so is Haven and Foaly's wonderful sarcasm.....  
  
It was 5 years since the mind wipe. As much as Holly liked Artemis and the Butlers, and she did miss them all, she had had almost no time to think about them since the wipe. The goblins had risen up again- this time without the clever fairies helping them - and had been pushed back once more. It had been quite easy seeing as the goblins were idiots, but their numbers had been surprisingly large and it had taken some time. Now all there was to do at work was paperwork and the occasional case above ground when a mud-man claimed to have seen a goblin - some of them had gone above ground to reak havoc but luckily, their attempts had been tracked by LEP and they were stopped before any real damage was done - and was due a mind wipe.   
  
Holly Short was currently sitting at her desk with her head on her arms dozing off. After a couple of years hunting goblins, paper work just didn't work very well for Holly. There was just so much of it, causing her to stay over-time to get through the huge stack of papers she found on her desk each morning. Sure, it was tiresome, but it had to be done. That was what had kept her going at first. Now she had partly given up from lack of rest and boredom. It was unlikely Root or anyone else important would notice. And it was just yesterday that Holly had caught a glimpse of Trouble Kelp snoring loudly on his desk. A sharp prod in the ribs had solved that. Holly grinned to herself and looked up just as her favourite Commander walked into the room. She quickly pretended to be absorbed with the thick wad of paper that had previously been her head rest, and pretended she hadn't noticed him. When he walked over to her desk, however, it was unavoidable. She looked up curiously and asked "Yessir?"   
  
Root scowled and Holly saw his purple face was etched with impatience. Holly cocked her head sideways waiting for his answer. Eventually he cleared his throat and hesitated before saying gruffly "Short. We may have a situation on our hands here. I expect you to finish this pile of papers and be in the Ops Booth in 10 minutes. Understand?" Holly nodded and composed herself, not wanting the Commander to see her grin. Finally something other than papers! Root grunted as if unsatisfied with her answer before storming back out of the room. Looking down at the papers left over, Holly groaned. 10 minutes! She still had half the stack of papers to go! She raced through them as fast as possible, wondering what this "situation" could be.  
  
20 minutes later, Holly pressed the intercom button outside the Ops Booth. Foaly's voice came through, thick with false pride "Wow Holly, I think you might just about be the only person able to make Julius's face steam in under 10 minutes. Congratula-" Foaly's voice was cut short by the Commander himself.  
  
"SHORT! Get in here now!" The doors hissed open and Holly came face to face with an extremely angry, purple faced Root. He opened his mouth to go further into his lecture but Foaly cut in impatiently.   
  
"Julius, I think it's high time I show you the situation. Unless of course you'd rather kill Holly first. It's not like were in a hurry or anything...." he trailed off significantly, the sarcasm heavy in his expression.   
  
Root growled and snapped "That's Commander Root to you, unless you want a pay cut and a whallop up that hairy ass of yours before you can say 'Idiotic Donkey-boy' "  
  
Foaly smirked and countered "That has quite possibly got to be one of the worst insults I have ever heard. But okay 'Commander Root'. Now down to business. Holly I asked our dear Commander to get you because I knew you would want to be one of the first to know what I am about to say."  
  
Holly raised an eyebrow quizzically and Root muttered "Get on with it...." under his breath. Foaly whickered but turned to his computer screen typing in commands so quickly that Holly gave up trying to catch what it was he was writing.  
  
Eventually he turned away from the screen and said "Now then. Using my brilliant brain - and many secret, very well hidden cameras - I have discovered something important. You see, when a person's mind is wiped, as you may already know - though judging by who you are-" he gave Root a significant glance. Root snarled and glared at Foaly who hurried quickly along "Anyway as I was saying, as you may know, the memories of a person who's mind has been wiped can be recovered if something that relates to the memory is unfolded to the person. Thus the memories return suddenly blahblahblah. It's all common LEP stuff, you should be up to date with it. Usually though, the memories that are wiped stay hidden except in very special circumstances where they either set up a plan to regain their memories before the wipe, or someone or something shows them something significant to the memory afterwards." By this time Holly and Root were extremely bored and weren't bothering to hide it. At least they understood this speech unlike some of his other technological ones. Foaly noticed the stares he was getting and hurriedly said "Back to the point. There have been only a few mind wipes that have involved someone actually using the first method to recover their memories and none so clever or original as this one I have discovered. You see, through my genius intellect and amazing mind, I-" He was cut short by Root.  
  
"Foaly I don't give a damn about all your 'genius' ideas, all I care about is the point you have discovered not how you discovered it! Now are you telling me that someone has regained their memory by thinking of a plan to do so before we wiped them and that plan happened to get by our searches and questionings?" Foaly grinned  
  
"Ah no no Julius that is where you are wrong. You see, you are right about everything except that they have not yet regained their memories. The person will soon recover them unless we stop that from happening. So I thought that is we-" He was cut off again. This time by Holly.  
  
"Foaly. Shut up for a minute. Who the hell is the person? You guys keep referring to them as 'the person' or 'someone' but who are they actually?" She glanced at Root and seeing his blank expression knew that he didn't know either. She looked back at Foaly with a questioning gaze.  
  
For once Foaly seemed to hesitate before speaking. He took a deep breath and said "A certain mud-boy - who is actually more like a mud-man now, if a young one. A mud-man that goes by the name of-"   
  
"Artemis Fowl" Holly breathed and heard Root's sharp intake of breath next to her.   
  
Thats it for now! R&R please! Although it's too late cos if your reading this line, the odds are you've already read the fic so theres no point in saying READ & Review lol. SO urrr please Review now that you've read it! I'm open to suggestions, critisism and well pretty much anything to help me and tell me how it is so far. By the way, I dont yet know where this fanfics going so if you've got any ideas i'm willing to take some up when I get stumped. Thanks and byeee! xx 


	2. Mulch Interfere's

Ok my computers broken! I had to borrow my friends to get on it now but it should be fixed soon so it's ok lol. I've done the second chapter! Hehe. But it's not very long because I have exams in a week.   
  
To destellando*sandia: You're the first to review my fanfic! Lol. Thanks for the advice and yea, your right. I was half-afraid that people would write in and say it was rubbish. At least in your review you gave advice on how I can improve! ^_^ No I don't think I have beta reader and yep I'm not very good at comma's and stuff like that. Thanks for reviewing!  
  
To soap sudd: Thanks! Yea that's the way I was trying to make Foaly seem. Like he is in the book ^_^ I'm glad someone noticed! Lol. Just out of curiosity (and it'll help my fanfic lol), by clumped, do you mean the paragraphs are too long and need to be separated more, or … urr I dunno what else it could be lol. But what do you mean by clumped? Thanks for reviewing!! xTamx  
  
Disclaimer: Artemis Fowl not mine still. Eoin Colfer owns it all...  
  
Here's chapter 2!  
  
Foaly nodded. It was one of those rare occasions that he was completely void of sarcasm. Root was shaking his head and muttering inaudibly under his breath while Holly was trying to puzzle out how she felt. She knew it was her job to prevent Artemis and co. (lol) from regaining their memories, but at the same time, she couldn't help feeling a slight jolt of excitement. What would Artemis' reaction be when he finally remembered? For 5 years he had been oblivious to a chunk of his past; what would he do when he got those memories back?  
  
She shook herself mentally and asked Foaly "How might he regain them?"   
  
Foaly, who looked extremely happy to show off his knowledge, answered proudly, "Well, I knew that Artemis would have had more plans than the small number that we discovered. So, I set out trying to figure out what he did. It's a private project I've been working on in between the riots. Finally I came up with an idea when I was recalling some old memories. I remember young Arty being very friendly with Julius' soul mate 'Mulch', and, as his sentence ended recently, I investigated further. Do you recall that pendant he was always wearing around his neck?"  
  
Root grunted and Holly answered, "Yes, he never took it off as far as I know. I gave it to Artemis, and he gave it to Mulch before the wipe." She felt a pang of regret, remembering that time before Holly parted with Artemis for the second time.  
  
Foaly, oblivious to Holly's feelings, continued. "Yes. I suspected Artemis instructed Mulch to return once he was set loose, to remind him of us."  
  
Root swore under his breath before asking "Where is the convict now Foaly?"  
  
The centaur grinned and reached for a carrot from his bucket on the floor. He took a huge bite and said with a full mouth, "Technically, Julius, he isn't a convict anymore." Root twitched as if about to leap on Foaly, so he continued quickly "He is about 6 hours away from Fowl Manor. Luckily all it will take is for you to get whoever you want on this mission to go straight to the shuttle port. The next flare is in 45 minutes. Then all it will take to complete the mission is for the chosen person, whom I'm assuming is Holly, to fly to Mulch's location, pick him up and drag his dwarfy ass back here."  
  
Root nodded and said "Simple enough." He turned to Holly "You up for it Short?"  
  
Holly grinned. "Yessir!" she answered enthusiastically, beaming at the opportunity to get away from the building.  
  
((I'm skipping the shuttle part because I seem to have misplaced my AF books somewhere and can't look up the details of it and I can't remember it all. I think my brother's nicked them… lol))  
  
Just over an hour later Holly was above ground. She stood for a moment, breathing in the cool air that was such a change from the stuffy air of her office. Sighing she flicked on her wings and made her way towards Fowl Manor. Foaly's voice rang in her ears as soon as she was off the ground.   
  
"Ok Holly, I'm sending you a radar view of where Mulch is approximately. I can't do you much better than that though Hols, seeing as we don't have any trackers on the dwarf and have to stick with the vaguer methods. Good luck and, erm, be careful Holly. You don't know what might happen when you grab a kleptomaniac dwarf from behind." He sounded genuine and Holly smiled to herself.  
  
Thanks Foaly. I will. I'll keep in touch if I need you."  
  
"Okay. See ya Holly," he said before cutting the microphone. Holly blinked as a radar came into view in the corner of her helmet. She turned towards the area Mulch was in and picked up her pace.   
  
Half an hour later she was close to the signal and getting closer. The dwarf was also moving very fast because they were quite close to Fowl manor. It was only about an hour away. She would have to move fast. She flew lower and skimmed the surface, looking for a sign but knowing it was useless as Mulch would be underground. She called Foaly and said "Foaly. Mulch will reach Fowl manor in an hour approx, and he's underground so…. how do I get him?"   
  
A chomping sound came through the speakers that Holly assumed was him eating a carrot, and then a muffled voice came through. "Well, I suggest you go to Fowl Manor and find a place where Mulch will surface, then when he does, get him! It'll be tricky but you can do it Hols."   
  
"Thanks Foaly. Bye bye." She cut the microphone and accelerated towards Fowl Manor at her fastest pace.   
  
45 minutes later she landed in the manor grounds. She looked around and saw no sign of life but was glad for the shield hiding her. She looked around for a likely place for Mulch to appear and then remembered the cellar where he had come up while breaking into Fowl Manor before. She decided to sneak there and wait. It was the most likely place to come up. She looked for a suitable way in that the cameras would not detect and saw an open window on the second floor. She was about to turn on her wings when something hit her head hard from behind and she fell over, becoming unconscious instantly.   
  
That's chapter 2! R&R please! 


	3. Holly

Ok firstly: SORRY EVERYONE! I know my grammar stinks... but I cant help it. I've been over my other paragraphs as best I can and reposted them but I cant help being bad at commas and paragraph breaks and stuff! I looked at the reviews and most of them commented on my grammar. Oops... Well sorry anyway...  
  
Neko Mew Midorikawa: I wont abandon it lol. I hate it when people do that :) So you dont have to worry about it. :P  
  
destellando*sandia: Lol I have a bad habit of using commas in the wrong places. My english teacher always gets annoyed at me for it. But I still haven't picked it up...   
  
Midnight Unicorn: Thanks! Yea sorry about that huge paragraph in chapter 1! I've changed it now so it's shorter and the grammatical errors are kind of a personal issue of mine. I need to get the hang of it. I promise i'll look it over ;) lol. Two people say they want A/H romance but I dunno if I can crack it lol. I'll see if more people want it and then decide but if I do a romance then it'll be A/H definitely!  
  
AgiVega: Yep I love cliffhanger's! Sorry I had to put one at the end... lol! And yep same goes for you. I'm thinking of A/H but not quite certain yet. ^_^  
  
Phire Pheonix: Thank you. Is this soon enough?? lol  
  
Discaimer: Nope I dont own anything from AF.   
  
Here's chapter 3!  
  
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The sound of a car engine announced the arrival of a vehicle in the grounds of Fowl Manor. A black limosine pulled up outside and a door opened in the front. A huge man got out wearing a black suit and dark sunglasses. He looked around carefully before walking around to the door at the back and opening it for the passenger inside to get out. A young man stepped out, his black hair pushed back from his face and his blue eyes tired. He smiled slightly at the big man and they both started to walk towards the front door. The big man suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and held an arm out to the young man to stop him when a voice came out from behind them. "Well, well. Artemis Fowl and Butler. I have a lot to discuss with you two."   
  
Butler swung around, reaching into his pocket and drawing a pistol as quick as a flash. A very short, grinning man stood in front of the limo. Something about the man tugged at Artemis' mind but he dismissed it quickly and asked in a cold tone "And what might you have to discuss with me little man?" The man grinned even wider.  
  
"Oh Artemis. Don't you remember your old friend Mulch?" he asked in mock suprise. Again the tug came at Artemis' memory but this time he didnt ignore it. He struggled to remember what it was that was puzzling him. Suddenly Butler drew a sharp breath and held a hand up to his head and Artemis lost his trail of thought.   
  
"What is it Butler?" he asked quickly. Butler frowned and looked at the short man again.  
  
"Mulch!" he said loudly. He turned to Artemis and said "Don't you remember yet Artemis? It's Mulch the dwarf!" Artemis wobbled slightly on his feet as his mind seemed to go blank. Only for a second though because all of a sudden it was back to normal again. Butler was grinning at him and this time when Artemis looked at the little man.... he remembered. It was as though a few years of memories were locked inside his brain and only now had the doors been unlocked and opened. He wavered unsteadily and then gasped, "Mulch!"  
  
"Hey Artemis. I came just like you told me to."  
  
"How are you? And everyone back at Haven?" Mulch opened his mouth to answer but was interupted by Butler who was for some reason over by a hedge peering into it suspciously.   
  
"Artemis, look at this. It's all hazy. If I'm not mistaken then there's a shielded fairy by here...." Artemis looked carefully and nodded. There was a slight haze underneath the bush and some of the branches were broken and disorderly around the spot. Mulch shifted uneasily and Artemis turned to stare at him accusingly.   
  
The dwarf grinned guiltily and said "You told me to come, so I came. But by the looks of things the LEP caught on and sent someone to stop me. I knocked 'em out from behind before they could do anything and hid 'em in the bushes.... Then you came home."   
  
Artemis nodded weakly. "You'd better come in then Mulch. Butler can you bring the fairy in with you please? We can see who it is once we're inside." Butler came back holding the haze in his arms and led the way in.   
  
Once they were inside with the shielded fairy unconscious on the couch, Mulch flipped off the fairy's shield. A small figure appeared in a dark green jumpsuit and a black helmet. It was plainly a female and was still deeply unconscious. Butler held the fairy upright whilst Mulch reached forward warily, muttering "if she bloody wakes up now...." and lifted off the helmet. All three immediately recognized the fairy. The nut-brown skin, auburn hair and the expression on her face was enough to remind Butler and Artemis even more about their past. Mulch muttered something inaudable under his breath that sounded like a curse, Butler's eyes bulged disbelievingly and Artemis just stared and whispered "Holly...."  
  
Haven: Ops Booth.  
  
"What is it now Foaly?" snapped an extremely red, puffed up Root.   
  
Foaly frowned. "Honestly Julius. You have absolutely no respect for your poor Centaur master-mind. I should go on strike..."   
  
Root sniffed and ignored the comment. "What's the so-called emergency?" he asked quickly.   
  
Foaly grimaced. "It's about Holly..." Root groaned and Foaly nodded. "We lost contact with her. Her helmet seems to have shut down. Only two things can cause that. One is if the user switches it off and the second is if a large force is slammed into the helmet.... My guess is the latter. Holly wouldn't have shut down her helmet deliberately in a case like this." Root sighed and nodded.  
  
"I'll get a couple of men onto it immediately. Do you know her location?" he asked Foaly.  
  
"Vaguely. She is somewhere in the Fowl area." Root nodded and left to get some of his top officers onto it.   
  
Tum dee dum. Okay thats it. I know it's not very long but I wanted to get something up today so this is what I came up with. Right can you all do me a big favour? Do you think I should make it an A/H? Two people have asked for it and so far it seems as if thats the direction im going in even though I wasnt intending that to happen. I'm not entirely sure whether I want it to be a romance so I decided to ask you for help! :D So can you post your opinions in your reviews. Thanks! R&R please. 


	4. Trouble Arrives

In advance: Sorry but I wont be able to update for a week or so because I've got exams and its my birthday!!! YAY!   
  
Ok now to the reviewers:  
  
Fearsomdiety: Thanks! Everyone who reviewed said they wanted it to be H/A so it's gonna have to be now. lol  
  
Phire Phoenix: Thanks for the url to that site. I love A/H's too! The only reason I wasn't sure whether I was gonna do one is because I've never written a romance before. But hey! I'm open to changes. ^_^ Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Neko Mew Midorikawa: Yep I've have a lot of spare time recently so I just come on my computer whenever I'm bored and do this. Besides it gives me an excuse not to revise ^_~ lol. Thank you very much for the review!  
  
Silver-Shadows-of-Silence: I've read a A/J too. It was a good fic but I was never really one for A/J's lol. Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed it.  
  
You-Know-Who5: I don't think I'm cut out for mushy things anyway. But yes it will be an A/H but I'm not gonna rush into it or anything. I'm gonna let it happen slowly. And no I wont make it end with a tragedy. There may be some tragic stuff happening in the middle of the fanfic but if everything goes according to plan then it'll end happily. Thanks for reviewing.  
  
Disclaimer: Yet again I don't own anything to do with AF. It's all Eoin Colfer's.  
  
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A sharp pain in the back of her head woke Holly. She kept her eyes closed but to her annoyance a groan escaped her throat. Her head was almost too much to bear and on top of that her memory was returning and she knew she had failed. It was obvious from the fact that she had probably been unconscious for hours and also because she was lying on a couch. She gritted her teeth and tried to think of a way out of the situation. She was most likely inside Fowl manor. Artemis, Butler and Juliet had all probably regained their memories and she had been knocked out from behind by someone. It was her first mission above ground since the riots and she had screwed it up. Root was going to kill her.  
  
Another groan escaped. This time because of her Commander and not the pain. She opened one eye and saw a grinning face looking down at her. She immediately shut her eye again and muttered "Hello Mulch." Her voice came out slurred and it was hard to focus on what she was saying but she didn't care right now.   
  
"Alright Holly?" asked the dwarf annoyingly.  
  
"Yea sure. My head feels like a giant spinning ball being stabbed over and over again with a million daggers but yes. I'm great!" she answered sarcastically. She opened both eyes this time and saw that Mulch was looking slightly guilty behind his smile. "I take it that their memories are back then?" she asked.  
  
"Yep, and Juliet's is being restored as we speak" came the answer. Holly grimaced.   
  
"Great. Just great!" Holly muttered. She then closed her eyes and tried to ignore her aching head as well as Mulch. She slowly fell back asleep.  
  
*  
  
  
  
Mulch guiltily looked down on Holly. If he had known it was her, he wouldn't have hit her so hard, if at all. He looked around at the room he was in. In any other situation he would have thought about stealing something from this house. It was plain in everything they owned that the Fowl's were extremely wealthy and even the smallest thing of worth was enough to catch Mulch's eye. Any other dwarf would have thought of this as a heaven. But not Mulch. Not anymore anyway. As much as he hated to admit it, he had grown fond of Artemis and the Butlers. And also Holly, Foaly and even Root to a certain extent.  
  
Just as he was getting bored the door opened and Artemis walked in. "Has she woken up yet?" he asked as soon as the door was shut behind him.   
  
Mulch nodded. "She just woke up. She's gutted that I ruined her mission. Root's gonna be on her like a ton of bricks when he finds out. She's lucky he can't get in here without an invite or he'd probably come storming in here with his purple face steaming as soon as he heard about it." Artemis nodded and eyed Holly's sleeping face wearily.  
  
Mulch eyed the boy. He had changed a lot. Last time they had met he had been a pale pasty boy with a face that seemed too mature for his age. Now he had grown. He had obviously been spending more time outside because his skin has lost it's ghostly whiteness and become tanned. He was taller and more muscular. It was definitely an improvement from before. His dress sense had also improved. Instead of the usual suit and tie, he was wearing jeans and a t shirt. He looked more relaxed and casual.   
  
Mulch reached around his neck and brought something over his head. He handed it to Artemis who took it off him and looked at it for a moment before putting it around his neck. "Thank you Mulch." He said and then added "but I have to go and see to Juliet now. She just regained her memory but she didn't take it so well. She fainted." He grimaced and then glanced at Holly. "Call me when she wakes up again." he added and walked out of the room.  
  
*  
  
Artemis walked slowly towards the kitchen where Juliet and Butler were. He lifted the pendant from around his neck and looked down at it, remembering the night Holly had given it to him. She had flipped a coin in the air and shot a hole through the middle and he had caught it. She had told him to keep it to remind him and when he queried it she had answered-  
  
To remind you that deep beneath the layers of deviousness, there is a spark of decency.   
  
Perhaps you can blow on that spark occasionally.  
  
Thinking back now to after the mind-wipe, he knew he had very rarely followed her advice. Even though he had had his mind wiped and forgotten the conversation, it was the right thing to do and he hadn't done it. He had ignored both Holly and his father's advice to stop his illegal plans.   
  
As he walked to the kitchen, he vowed to himself that he would stop right now. There would be no more criminal acts from him from now on.  
  
*  
  
Trouble Kelp landed in the drive outside Fowl Manor. Next to him landed Officer Narela, a new recruit. She had jet black wavy hair that had a tendency to hang forward framing her round face. She had green eyes and a thin figure. "C'mon" he said to her, and walked up to the front door. He knocked twice and stood back, fingering the handle of his pistol. He remembered the last two times he had been here. They had not been pleasant experiences. After a couple of minutes the door was opened by a dwarf.   
  
"Hello Trouble. What are you doing here?" Mulch asked.  
  
"Root said to expect to find you here. Where is Holly?" he demanded.  
  
"Inside. I dunno if your allowed in though."   
  
Trouble nodded and Narela stepped forward. "Why don't you go and ask Fowl then?" she asked irritably. Mulch nodded and shut the door in their faces. "Sorry but he was getting on my nerves," she added.   
  
Trouble nodded. She was new and young and still had a lot to learn but she was quick on her feet and very handy in battles. She was also clever and had been trained well. He turned his back to her and faced the door patiently.  
  
Suddenly something grabbed him in a tight grip from behind and a pistol was shoved hard against his temple.  
  
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Dum dum duuuuuuuuuum. Sorry that was another cliffhanger. I cant help it! lol. So now your stuck with that for a couple of weeks but you never know, I might get in a post before then. By the way sorry for using the lines in italics from the arctic incident. Hope you liked it and thanks for your help on the A/H thing! Everyone who reviewed wanted it to be A/H so my mind is made up. By the way, if you have any idea'd about where this story could be going then please tell me in your reviews because at the minute I'm not exactly sure where this is going and can you also tell me what you think about the lengths of the chapters. Should they be longer, shorter or are they okay like this? Thanks and R&R please! 


	5. Officer Narela

Hello people! I finally got around to doing this chapter! Sorry it took this long. I had exams and it was my birthday and then I went to London for a week and a load of other stuff cropped up and I had no time! But I'm back now and will hopefully be updating more often than once every few weeks. Anyway onwards to the 'messages to the reviewers'.  
  
fearsomdiety: hehe hyper people are amusing. But then I can't talk since I always get hyper.... lol. Yep the grammar was better because I had to do loads of revision for my English exam so I understood comma's and stuff more. And in one of the chapters coming up I promise I'll make her punch him again just for you! lol. Thanks for reviewing again!  
  
AgiVega: Thanks for the tip :) This is my first fanfic so I wasn't really sure whether to allow them or not. I tried to make this chapter longer than the other ones but I don't know whether I actually improved much... What do you think about the length of this one? I'm happy to say, I've come up with a plot! Finally. It still needs some thinking but at least I know where I'm heading now . Thank you so much for reviewing!  
  
mad sam: ehehe. I like annoying people with cliffies. Thanks so much! At first I wasn't sure if people would like it but I've got quite a lot of good reviews so far. Sorry I didn't update very soon. I'll be much faster next time. Thanks for the review!  
  
Iyneferti Egyptian kitten: Thanks. I'd just like to say that I'm sorry if there are some spoilers for EC in later chapters. You should definitely read it! When are you going to?   
  
Phire Phoenix: ahaha sorry I couldn't help myself. I was gonna carry on after that but I decided that it would be fun to leave it as a big cliffie. hisses back hehe. Thank you for reviewing. :D  
  
WackedOutPet13: Thank you. I will lol.   
  
Neko Mew Midorikawa: I never said he was gonna stick to it... lol. Well it's been 5 years since he was the criminal mastermind guy so he's bound to change a bit right? Like I said though, I have an idea for the ending and the main plot but for the rest I have absolutely no idea whats gonna happen.  
  
Okay that's all for now. I just realized how many times I said thank you or thanks in that. hehe.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in this ((except for Narela. She's mine lol.)) and I don't own the places like Haven. All of it is EC's :D  
  
Here's the next chapter!!  
  
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An annoying tap on her arm woke Juliet. She looked down and saw a familiar short little man tapping her continuously. She grinned. As much as he annoyed her it was good to see one of the fairy folk again. "Mulch! You can stop now...." she said. The tapping ceased and she got up from the floor awkwardly.   
  
"Arty told us not to wake you but I dunno where him and Butler have gone so I did it anyway." he grinned. "There's two LEP fairies at the door. They came to see Holly. She's here by the way. And one, they need an invite and two, I wasn't sure whether Artemis wants them here..."   
  
He looked expectantly at Juliet as if she knew what to do. She shrugged and answered "I'll go speak to them and see who they are." She was excited at the thought of meeting some LEP fairies again. She walked quickly out of the door and down the hall and when she reached the door she composed herself before opening it.   
  
In front of her was a small woman with jet black hair and bright green eyes. "Oh!" Juliet said. "Mulch told me that there were two of you." She looked inquisitively at the fairy.   
  
"Yes there were two of us but unfortunately Trouble got called back to Haven. I didn't hear why but I heard something about a Goblin riot. I am Officer Jannie." she said pleasantly and held out her hand to shake.   
  
Juliet accepted it and smiled back. Jannie seemed like a nice person, and her smile was one that seemed to say she was innocent and cheerful.  
  
"Nice to meet you. I'm Juliet."   
  
Jannie smiled again and asked "Can I come in? I understand if the answer is no. It's just that I haven't seen Holly for ages and we are practically sisters and I just want to check she's alright and have a chat with her."   
  
Juliet hesitated. She didn't think Artemis would mind terribly if she let Jannie in. And it wasn't like the fairies were their enemies... But there was still a chance that this might be a plan to mind wipe Artemis again. She sighed. "I'm sorry Jannie. If it was up to me I would SO let you in but Artemis is the owner and it's his choice."  
  
Jannie sagged slightly. "Alright, I suppose I could wait a while to see Holly. But seeing as I can't see her do you mind telling me what her condition is? Sorry to hassle you..."  
  
Juliet grinned and perked up at this new suggestion. At least she could help the poor fairy in some way, "Yeah, sure I will!"   
  
She walked outside, shut the door behind her and sat on the top step and motioned for Jannie to sit by her. She opened her mouth to speak but something grabbed her arm. Jannie had her in a tight grip and she twisted her to look into her eyes and said with tones layered with some magic, "Now Juliet. I need to speak to Holly so I really think that you should invite me into Fowl Manor." Something in the back of Juliet's head tried to fight that powerful voice but it was too strong and she gave in.   
  
She got up and said cheerfully "Okay! You're invited. Holly's in the sitting room if you were wondering."   
  
--------------------  
  
Jannie, who was actually, of course, Narela, smiled sweetly at Juliet but was actually thinking about how much she hated mud men as she walked up the steps into the manor. She looked around and heard Juliet follow her.   
  
"Where is the sitting room?" she asked.   
  
There were many places to go. Anywhere could be the sitting room! Juliet walked past grinning and led her up to a large set of wooden doors. Narela opened them and walked in quietly. "Stay there Juliet and tell me if anyone is coming. Stall them" she ordered and shut the door.   
  
The room was well furnished and empty of people except for a small figure asleep on the couch. She approached stealthily and knelt next to the fairy. Suddenly a hysterical laughter took her over and she had to stifle it to keep from waking Holly. Once that had subsided she glared at the sleeping figure. Long years of suppressed emotions had led her to become slightly insane and the reason of this was caused by this very fairy in front of her.   
  
"It doesn't seem right to kill you when you're asleep. Especially since you wouldn't see or understand who did it and why. I have a better plan," she said quietly.   
  
She rummaged in her back pack for a moment and brought out a small, thin, black, round disk. She pressed it gently and a red light appeared that showed it had been activated. Then she peeled off a backing substance on one side of the disk and stuck it on the inside of Holly's helmet.   
  
Foaly had given the disk to her just in case Artemis Fowl kidnapped her again or tried to do one of his sneaky plots and the LEP might need to track him. She had taken it without thinking but it seemed she would have a use for it after all. She heard voices outside and then Juliet came in and shut the door behind her.   
  
"It's Artemis," she said quietly. "I told him to wait but he won't wait long."   
  
Narela nodded and turned her back to Juliet. She brought out her buzz baton and charged it to a high setting and then walked innocently up to the girl and jabbed her with it. Juliet immediately collapsed on the floor unconscious. Then she took one last look around the room to check there were no clues to who had been here and walked over to the window. She opened it wide, flicked her wings on and quickly flew out before Artemis came to investigate.  
  
-------------------  
  
Artemis was waiting impatiently outside the door. Juliet was acting strangely and he could have sworn he'd heard voices inside the sitting room. Holly couldn't be awake and up to talking yet though. He tapped his shoe impatiently and was about to barge in when he saw Mulch coming down the hall towards him.   
  
The dwarf was, as always, grinning and he stopped in front of Artemis and looked up at him. "Hey Artemis! Did you speak to the fairies at the door?"  
  
Artemis frowned. "I wasn't aware that there were visitors," he answered slowly.  
  
This time it was Mulch's turn to frown. "You mean Juliet never told you? She was the one who answered it."  
  
A sudden thought came to Artemis and he said quickly to Mulch, "Go get Butler, Mulch. Don't ask why, just do it now!"   
  
Mulch hesitated a moment and looked about to ask something but he obviously caught the look on Artemis' face and ran back down the hall the way he had come.  
  
Artemis took a deep breath and opened the door. He groaned as his fears came true and saw Juliet lying on the floor unconscious. He glanced to check Holly was alright but she was still asleep and looked undisturbed. He knelt by Juliet but then got back up and turned around as the door crashed open and Butler charged in. He was panting but he still assessed the room and then knelt by Juliet.  
  
"What happened Artemis?" he asked quickly. "Are you hurt? What happened to Juliet?"  
  
Artemis shrugged. "I'm fine. I only just came in and everything was like this. My guess is that somehow the fairies at the door got Juliet to invite them in, then they came in here and did whatever they wanted to do, knocked Juliet unconscious and flew out of the window."   
  
Butler frowned. "But Artemis. I thought we were at peace with the fairy folk now. And what were they doing here anyway? Nothing seems out of place except for Juliet."  
  
Artemis' brow furrowed in thought but he couldn't think of an explanation.  
  
----------------------------  
  
Holly slowly woke up and opened her eyes. The pain had subsided considerably but she still couldn't see properly. As she squinted around the room she heard voices. Familiar voices. She sat up straight and peered over to the other side of the room thoughtfully. Then she smiled. It was Artemis and Butler. She rubbed her eyes and then got up and walked over to them.   
  
Artemis looked at her in surprise and then smiled. "Hello Holly," he said warmly.  
  
"Long time no see, mud boy." she answered but grinned back. Then she noticed something and looked down. "What the hell happened to Juliet?" she asked suddenly.  
  
Artemis shrugged. "My theory is that she got tricked into inviting an LEP officer inside. Then they did whatever they wanted to do before knocking Juliet out and escaping through the window."  
  
Holly shook her head. "Why would an LEP officer do this?" she asked and was cut off from continuing when the door swung open and Mulch walked in. He stopped in his tracks when he saw what had happened though.  
  
Artemis jumped in before he could ask any questions though. "Mulch this is important. Did you see who Juliet invited inside the house?"   
  
"Aye I did. I answered the door and Trouble was there with some really rude LEP chick. I dunno who she was. I couldn't find you or Butler so I told Juliet and she said she could handle it and anyway, I needed a nap." He shrugged.  
  
Holly rolled her eyes and looked back at Artemis. "No. Trouble would never have done something like this. And if that other officer was with him then he wouldn't have allowed her to either," she told him.   
  
Artemis didn't look too convinced but let it drop for now because Juliet was coming around. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. When she caught sight of Holly she grinned and perked up a bit and then mumbled, "Hiya Holly! What happened? I remember opening the door and seeing that fairy girl and speaking to her and then...." she trailed off and looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oops.... sorry Artemis. I um invited her in..... without your permission." She looked guiltily up at him.   
  
Holly frowned. "But Mulch said there were two LEP officers." she said.  
  
"There was only Officer Jannie when I went. She said something like....." She stopped for a moment and thought. "She said 'Trouble got called back to Haven'. She said something about a Goblin Riot."   
  
Holly flinched at this and groaned. "If that's the case then I should be getting back to Haven to help." she said wearily and turned back to go and pick up her stuff but Artemis caught her arm.  
  
"Wait a minute Holly. Have you ever thought that this 'Officer Jannie' just said that to cover up for Trouble's absence. She may even be setting you up for something. We should discuss this first and come up with a plan."   
  
Holly stared at him for a moment and sighed. "I know what you say is a possibility but if there is even the smallest chance that Haven is in trouble then I want to be there to help. I'm sorry Artemis but I have to go." She turned and pulled out of his grasp before walking over to the couch and picking up her wings and her helmet. She strapped the wings on and was about to put the helmet on when Artemis stopped her again.  
  
"I want to come. And shouldn't we look for Trouble first?" he asked.  
  
Holly considered it and nodded. "We can look for him quickly but if you come Artemis then how are you going to get there? I will be flying and you've grown since I last carried you. These are crappy wings anyway. Foaly's complaining about a tight budget."   
  
Artemis looked thoughtful. "Butler and I will follow you by car and you can wait for us there." he said and Holly agreed.   
  
Juliet and Butler had been speaking softly and Juliet was now on her feet so the five of them left the house to search for Trouble. In truth Holly was extremely worried. She had been good friends with Trouble for years and if something had happened to him then she would be very upset. They set off in pairs - Artemis with Holly and Juliet with Butler - and Mulch on his own and began searching for a sign of Trouble. Perhaps he got shoved in some bushes somewhere too.  
  
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Okay that's all for now. Please R&R!!!! xxx 


	6. Not a Lucky Day

Okay I finally did chapter 6! I am sorry it took so long. I just never got around to typing this chapter. Here are the messages to the reviewers:-  
  
Phire Phoenix : Yep I re-read that last chapter and I realized that it was a really boring one... but I really wanted to post and I didn't realize at the time how bad it was. lol. I hope this one is better but who knows.... lol. And I paired Artemis and Holly together to make a tiny tiny tiny start to the A/H thing but like I said... I'm not gonna go jumping into things too soon so I am sorry if you aren't satisfied with what happens in this chapter. Thanks for reviewing!!!  
  
mad sam : Thanks!! And I'm sorry I didn't update soon like you told me to. I'll try harder this time Thanks for the review!  
  
Disclaimer : I dont own any characters/places/fairy stuff from this. All I own is most of the plot so far and Narela hehe

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Here is Chapter 6!!! And for now let me say 'sorry about the grammar because my beta reader is sick so she cant check it and so I'm stuck with my own pitiful effort at it. lol well anyways....enjoy..............  
  
Holly handed her helmet to Artemis with a sigh. "Here, you have a go at looking. I don't seem to be having much luck," she said frustratedly. After at least an hour of searching they still hadn't seen a trace of Trouble and Holly was starting to get annoyed.  
  
Artemis took the helmet from her outstretched arms quickly. He was also beggining to get frustrated. Searching for nothing but a haze in the air was enough to annoy anyone! He was about to put it onto his head when Holly reached out and touched his arm.  
  
"Artemis... if we don't find him soon then I'll have to leave. He might not even be here and Haven could be in trouble." she said softly.  
  
Artemis nodded quickly. "Of course." he answered. There was something about the way she was looking at him that sent a shiver down his back and he noticed that she was still holding his arm. She let go hurriedly when she saw him looking. He looked away from her and shoved the helmet roughly onto his head. What was he doing? He asked himself and looked around through the helmet. As far as he could tell there was no one nearby at all so he started to walk, motioning for Holly to follow. She waited a moment before running after him to catch up.  
  
After another half hour of searching they decided it was enough and that they would go back inside to prepare for leaving. Butler, Mulch and Juliet were still outside somewhere searching so they didn't wait and set themselves to gathering all necassary equipment needed. Holly put on her helmet and tried speaking to Foaly but it seemed that the communications was still out after the bang the helmet had taken. She took it off just as Mulch walked in.  
  
"Mulch! Why did you have to hit me so hard? If I could speak to Foaly then we could know whether the Goblins really were rebelling again!" she said angrily.  
  
Mulch shrugged and looked just the tiniest but guilty. "I wasn't sure who you were. Some of those LEP idiots have heads as hard as rocks!" he explained and then grinned. "Besides isn't this going to be fun? A nice adventure with the old gang eh?"  
  
Holly glared at him but saw his point. It was just like old times! Just then the door opened and Juliet and Butler came in.  
  
"No sign of the fairy." Butler said shortly. He saw that they were gathering equipment and left to get weapons.  
  
15 minutes later they were once again outside Fowl Manor. Holly was strapping on her wings whilst Butler out all the equipment in the back of the car. Juliet had forced them to let her come and so the party of five split up into three. Mulch left first and he unbuttoned his bum flap and was soon disappearing into a cloud of soil and dust. Artemis, Butler and Juliet were second to leave.  
  
Juliet winked at Holly before climbing into the back of the Rolls Royce.  
  
Artemis nodded and said "Wait for us at the entrance to the shute Holly," before climbing in also and Butler shut the door after him.  
  
Butler turned to her and smiled slightly. "It's good to have you back Captain." he told her and climbed in himself. Holly smiled. He hadn't forgotten that she had saved his life back then. The car started and took off down the drive quietly. Holly watched it go before flicking her wings on. They chugged into life once again and she lifted up into the air. She took a moment to breath in the air and then took the most direct path to the shute.

* * *

Artemis gazed out of the window thoughtfully as the car moved quickly along the quickly darkening roads.  
  
Juliet was sitting in her seat playing excitedly with her hair. He still wasn't sure that bringing her had been the best thing to do and Butler certainly hadn't either but Holly had thought it was a good idea and Juliet had wanted to come so much that it had been hard to refuse. He looked up at the sky, trying to catch a glimpse of a haze flying through the air.  
  
Butlers voice cut through his thoughts. "Well Artemis," he said. "I cannot say that there aren't some aspects of our past I would have been happier not knowing but it feels good to remember it all for the most part."  
  
Artemis nodded and grinned as he remembered Butler's unfortunate first meeting with Mulch the dwarf. Judging by the red tinge to Butler's cheeks he could see that Butler was thinking along the same lines. Artemis couldn't help agreeing with Butler. There were some parts he didn't cherish remembering. His thoughts drifted back to the first meeting with Jon Spiro when he had brought them both into a trap and brought Butler to his death. If it hadn't been for Holly Butler wouldn't be alive right now. His face burned in shame for a moment before he composed himself. He would be more careful from now on.  
  
"Butler?" he asked. "When do my parents get home from their vacation in Paris?"  
  
Butler answered straight away. "In two weeks Artemis. We will be home by then."  
  
Artemis nodded and went back to staring out of the window thoughtfully.

* * *

Holly dropped low to the ground, cut out the engine on her wings and landed on her feet. She kept her helmet on. Mulch, Juliet, Artemis and Butler should be here soon and they would have to be as quick as they could to get to Haven. She sighed and sat down on the ground impatiently. She sat like that for a few minutes and fell into a daydream.  
  
Suddenly a noise came from above her and a beam of light hit the ground to the right of her.  
  
"D'Arvit" she swore. She knew a shot from a Neutrino 2000 when she saw one. She rolled over to her left and drew her own Neutrino from it's holster and set it to stun. She then aimed upwards to catch sight of her attacker. A crunch from behind her told her that she had been too slow and that her attacker was now aiming straight for the small of her back.  
  
She groaned as a cold female voice said "Hello Holly."  
  
Holly turned to see a black haired fairy looking down at her. As she had guessed, the Neutrino was aimed straight at her and also set for stun. At least Holly wouldn't be killed if she was shot. The woman smiled slightly at her. "I knew that you would come here when you found out the Goblin's were rebelling again. It's a shame you won't get a chance to fight along side the rest of the LEP." she told her quietly and before Holly knew what was happening, the fairy had aimed her gun and shot. Quick thinking made Holly roll over and the Neutrino blast missed her stomach but hit her left arm instead. Holly groaned and glared up at the fairy looking down at her. This was not her lucky day! A sudden movement to the right of them both made Holly and the strange fairy turn. Mulch was crouching with a look of pain on his face as he aimed his rear end straight at Holly's attacker. Her face went pale in a second and she took off from the ground just as a gust of gas was sent her way. Holly looked up and saw her fly a moment until her shield was switched on and she was lost to the night.  
  
Holly looked over at a grinning Mulch and smiled her thanks. "I swear. Next time I meet that witch of a woman, she'll be the one to get injured!" Holly told him just as car headlights appeared and the Rolls Royce came into view. Holly stood up and tended to her arm as she waited for them to reach her and Mulch. She frowned thoughtfully. She had seen the look the fairy had given her and it was obvious that she hated Holly. For some reason Holly knew that this wasn't over. She would have to face that woman again and next time Holly would be the one to come out victorious..

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Oh geez... sorry about that ending. It was kinda corney. lol. Ah well. R&R pleeeeease. ((I noticed how I only got 2 reviews yesterday and although I decided that was probably down to my rubbish last chapter..... you can critisise if you want! lol)) Oh! And sorry about how I said I'd do the chapters longer and this one isn't.... I didn't have enough time tonight. -Tam xxx 


	7. Dead City

Hi!! OMG sorry I took so long once again to update! I said I wouldn't do it.. but I did. Sorry lol. Anyway I wrote Chapter 7 and it took me so long to write! I had major writers block.. But when I finished I was sure I had written loads but it turns out that I haven't written anymore than I usually do... next time I PROMISE I'll update sooner and it'll be so much longer! Anyways.. I decided to put the messages to the reviewers at the bottom so the readers don't have to scroll down loads to find the start lol. Here is chappy 7!!!  
  
Disclaimer: Yet again none of the characters ((except Narela)) and none of the places are mine. They belong legally to Eoin Colfer!!!!

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Butler parked the Rolls Royce not far away from Holly. He got out and took a moment to check his surroundings for any unwanted visitors. When he was satisfied he opened the door to let Artemis and Juliet out and led the way to Holly. She was standing by Mulch who was trying his best to make his facial features look innocent but he was failing badly. Holly looked almost natural but Butler could easily notice that she was standing slightly stiffly. He knew immediately that something was wrong and he began trying to find out what it was.  
  
"What happened to your arm Holly?"  
  
Butler almost smiled. Artemis had yet again managed to work it out before he could.  
  
Holly rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Officer Jannie paid another visit. We'll tell you the rest later but we need to hurry," she said and turned to lead them to the shute entrance. They followed quickly but Artemis couldn't help noticing that there was a dark bloody stain on the left arm of Holly's jumpsuit. He didn't know why he was worrying. Her magic would heal it in no time.  
  
Before long Holly reached the entrance and led the way through. It was a small, rarely used shute with no one guarding it. A single pod was directly in front of them and Artemis eyed it warily whilst Holly walked up and greeted it like an old friend.  
  
A while later they were getting out of the shuttle. All of them had shaky legs except for Holly who was striding forwards grimly through the shuttle port. Her mind was racing. Usually there would be all kinds of fairies here but today there was only silence. Their footsteps echoed horribly on the tiled floor and made the silence even more ominous. The group didn't talk or even whisper to each other for fear of hidden listeners.  
  
After what seemed like an eternity they reached the double doors leading out onto a main street. Holly stopped in front of the door and took a few deep breaths. She knew that what she found out there was probably going to be something she wouldn't like but she had to go. After a moment she reached out and opened the door.  
  
Her eyes widened and she heard Mulch let out a breath next to her.  
  
"What is it?" Artemis asked from behind her.  
  
Holly looked around and then sighed. "Well I don't know what I was expecting but it wasn't this," she mumbled. She shook herself and then said "It's empty. There's no one. Well... no on living that is."  
  
She stepped out and walked down the steps with the others on her heels. An awful sort of silence had fallen on them as they studied the street. Bodies littered the floor with horrible injuries. It was obvious that a battle had been going on here not to long ago. Holly slowly let out the breath that she realized she had been holding.  
  
"Holly..." Artemis said from behind her.  
  
Holly shook her head and said "Come on. Let's go," and led the way down the street towards LEP headquarters. There she would hopefully find Root, Foaly and hopefully Trouble.  
  
She avoided going near or even looking at the bodies and increased her pace. The silence was everywhere and Holly knew what it was. It was the sound of Death.

* * *

Commander Root was standing in the Ops Booth, glaring at Foaly.  
  
"What am I supposed to do Foaly? There are so many of the damned Goblins running free around Haven. You've got to have a plan to get rid of them!" he shouted.  
  
Foaly sighed. "It's not that simple. I was studying this video clip from an officer's helmet that he was wearing in the battle and I noticed that the weapons they hold are a model I have never even heard of. They hold an unlimited amount of shots and they are powered by-"  
  
"I don't care how they work just tell me what they do!" Root interrupted angrily.  
  
"You're the boss Julius!" Foaly said and Root made a noise that sounded surprisingly like a snarl. "But anyway. They have only one setting. I saw some of the injuries that our fighters sustained and they weren't pretty. They all had just one wound and no other mark on them. There was almost no blood spilt and the wound looked so minor and that's what made me look into it further."  
  
"Get to the point Foaly. In case you were unaware there are currently hordes of Goblins infesting and destroying Haven and its people but honestly, there is no rush! Do take your time...." Root said through gritted teeth.  
  
Foaly rolled his eyes and continued. "The weapon was made for one thing; to give the bearer an almost instant, painful death. It's a perfect killing machine."  
  
Root seemed to forget any smart comments for the time being and he breathed out heavily. "So what you're saying is..."  
  
"That if you get hit by that weapon then you will experience a quick, unpleasant death. You have seen the bodies and you probably realized that their faces were contorted in pain." Foaly finished for him.  
  
Root sighed and nodded. "I see."

* * *

The party of five made their way through the streets towards the LEP Headquarters. None of them felt particularly like talking though so their journey was made in silence.  
  
Holly and Butler were striding forward with grim looks on their faces, Artemis was paler than usual and wide eyed, Juliet looked like she was going to be sick and Mulch looked slightly shocked but was trying to hide it.  
  
A sudden noise caught their attention and made them all stop dead. A shout came from their right and they all looked and saw a party of Goblins leap out of smashed windows, and out from behind a broken down wall. To their left another group was coming and Holly swore. They had walked straight into an ambush.  
  
Approximately 20 Goblins were now advancing from either side and in every single Goblins hand was a big deadly looking gun.  
  
"Run.." Mulch said and as one the party ran.  
  
They could hear the goblins coming up behind them and Holly knew that they were about to start shooting. They came to a junction in the road and Holly shouted "Split up and we'll meet back at LEP headquarters!"  
  
Holly, Artemis and Mulch ran right and Butler and Juliet ran to the left. Holly glanced behind her and saw the Goblins split into two parties.  
  
She frowned as she ran. Something wasn't right. Last time when the Goblin's had seemed too clever for Goblin's it had turned out to be Opal Koboi and Briar Cudgeon behind it all and now once again the Goblins were being too smart to be natural. They had planned an ambush and invented a whole new weapon which was unheard of! Was there someone providing the Goblin's with plans and weaponry again?

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Messages to reviewers:-  
  
Chiquita-3 : Thanks!!!! Sorry I didn't update fast like you said... oops... and ya I agree! Down with Narela!!!! Lol! And I get to choose what happens to her. evil grin... thanks for reviewing!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Neko Mew Midorikawa : Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooops... ya I didn't exactly do a long chapter. But LOL! They do look longer on paper... and it took me so- damn-long-to-write... grumbles to self But yup it turns out that its not all that long... Next time I will write it longer for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
Tenqu Queen : Thank yooooooou! Lol I'll update quicker next time. I'm glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!  
  
WrItErKaT322 : LOL! Meggie is too pushy! Lol jk. Thanks for reviewing and I'm glad you like it so far!!!!!!!!  
  
Phire Phoenix : hehe ooooops... ya sorry. I was just trying it out.. turns out it wasn't a good idea guilty look hehe thanks for reviewing.  
  
Black Sayain : another guilty look ya I didn't really think it might make it hard to read... I wont do it again lol. Thanks for reviewing and yay im glad you like it!  
  
WackedOutPet13 : THANKS! I'm soo glad you like it! Thanks for reviewing!!!!  
  
Everyone who reviewed: Wowww thanks everyone! I love you all! Hehe your reviews are so nice! Thanks for reviewing everyone and I hope you enjoyed this chappy... next ones gonna be an exciting one I'll update soon!!!!!!!!

Tam xxx


	8. The Hunt Begins

Hi again! I think I made this chapter longer... read it and see what you think. Should it be longer than this or is this alright or should I do it shorter? I'm going to France in 8 days so I'll try my best to get another chapter up by then. It might be a short one but at least it's an update!! Lol. Thanks all for your reviews; I'll answer them after the fic like last time.  
  
I hope this chapters alright. Tell me what you think in a review.  
  
Disclaimer:: All of the characters and places used in this are owned by Eoin Colfer except for Narela, Eaves and the weapon which I haven't named yet.  
  
PS- When I put a character name like this - **_HOLLY_** or _**ARTEMIS **_it means that this part of the story is written in that persons point of view. I didn't know how else to get that point through...  
  
CHAPTER 8!!!

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Butler and Juliet rounded a corner and yet another empty street loomed ahead of them. The patter of the Goblins feet echoed from behind them making them seem closer than they were.  
  
Butler pulled his gun from its holster at his waist and listened to the feet carefully. He guessed there was about ten behind them and he knew he had 12 bullets. He glanced at Juliet. If she wasn't here with him then he would stop right now and face the little bastards but he had his sister to think about and that might put her at risk so he kept running forwards.  
  
They were coming to another fork in the road and this time Butler turned to the right, grabbed Juliet and pulled her quickly through a large broken window into the shadowy inside of a house. He kept a hold on Juliet and they quietly walked over to the other side of the room and opened the door into a dark hall. They shut the door behind them and backed away from it just as the noise of the Goblins stopped. They had reached the fork in the road...

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**_HOLLY_**  
  
Holly, Artemis and Mulch had dealt with their half of the Goblins already. Holly had shot half of them down on the run and the rest had been hit when they rounded a corner and hid behind a wall to ambush them.  
  
She was now leading them towards LEP headquarters. She was eager to get there but was also dreading it. She didn't even know what state the rest of Haven was in. All she had seen so far had been destroyed or vandalized and she hadn't seen a single Fairy which was unheard of this far into Haven. She picked up her pace and called to the other two to hurry up.  
  
"Do you expect Trouble to be here Holly?" Artemis asked from behind her.  
  
Holly grimaced. "I hope so." She answered shortly.  
  
"And if not?" Mulch asked.  
  
"I don't know!" Holly snapped. She took a deep breath and said more calmly "If he isn't then it's out of my hands. The council will handle it then."  
  
That seemed to work and there was silence again for a while until Mulch spoke up.  
  
"Who do you think is helping the Goblins Holly?"  
  
"I don't know. If I did then I wouldn't be here right now."  
  
Artemis frowned in thought. "Where would you be?" he asked.  
  
Holly grinned slyly. "I'd be right there with them kicking their butt." They both laughed.  
  
Eventually Holly stopped and turned to Mulch.  
  
"Mulch? Would you be able to go ahead, just to check that anyone is at Headquarters?"  
  
Mulch nodded and immediately unbuttoned his bum flap. "See you two later" he said and then all that was left of him was a churn of dirt flying into the air.  
  
After a moment Holly looked at Artemis and said "Come on. We'll be there soon," and began walking again. Artemis followed and walked by her side.  
  
"What's Haven like normally?" he asked curiously. "Everything just seems so quiet and wrong. I've always wondered what it's like in the streets of Haven and I never imagined it to be like this."  
  
Holly looked surprised at the question and thought for a moment before saying "It's not like this at all. The streets always have people in. The main streets are usually bustling with Fairies going to work, coming home from work, going out or shopping. It's very lively." She smiled sadly and sighed. Talking about Haven on a normal day but seeing it now being so empty and desolate made her really realize how much she loved it.  
  
Artemis patted her arm awkwardly and she laughed at his feeble attempt to cheer her up.  
  
"Shut up" Artemis said grinning.  
  
Holly looked into his eyes and realized how much he had changed. He was better built, although still thin and even though his skin was still pale, it had a healthy tinge to it that suggested he had spent more time outside. His eyes were the same though. The same cold clear blue color as before. His personality had changed for although she had taken a liking to the old Artemis, the new one was both intelligent and social-able. The old Artemis would never have joked around with her like this. The years had been kind to Artemis and she knew she had missed him during the five years of his mind wipe. She had been so busy with the riots that she hadn't had much time to think but she knew something was missing from her life then. It just wasn't the same without Butler, Juliet and Artemis.  
  
She smiled at him and he smiled back and looked away with a slightly red tinge to his cheeks. She suppressed a laugh. Artemis was blushing? Whatever next?

* * *

**_ARTEMIS_**  
  
Artemis grinned and said "Shut up" in a joking voice.  
  
He looked at Holly and their eyes met. Her hazel eyes looked into his blue ones and he felt a weight lift off his chest. It was so good to have his memory back and be with her again. It would be good to meet Foaly and Commander Root too. He realized he was still staring into her eyes and felt his cheeks heat as he looked away.  
  
Holly started walking again and he stood there for a moment looking at her before catching up.

* * *

**_MULCH_**  
  
Mulch kept tunneling towards the LEP building. He was almost there when he remembered that he had been the one to give Artemis his memory back. Root was probably going to skin him alive when he got there.  
  
He groaned but kept going. He had told Holly he would do this so he couldn't go back now. He took a moment to check his location and then sped up. After a few minutes he drew close and he rose towards the surface slightly and stopped to see if he could sense any movements nearby. When he judged it was safe he tunneled to the surface right in front of the building.  
  
The same eerie silence was hovering in this wide street and he glanced around cautiously and skipped up to the huge front doors after doing up his bum flap. He sighed. They were sealed. Typical!  
  
He turned back around and was about to start heading back to Holly when a noise came from the door. A slit had been opened and a pair of eyes were staring at him.  
  
"Mulch Diggums. What is your business here?" a deep voice asked.  
  
Mulch climbed back up the stairs. "Holly is on her way and I came ahead for her to check if the LEP were inside this building."  
  
The eyes narrowed and the man said "All LEP who are still alive and not fighting are inside this building including Captain Short's Commander. You may go and tell her that." The slit closed again.  
  
Mulch poked his tongue out at the door. "Rude much?" he asked loudly and went back down the stairs and began the tunnel back.

* * *

Holly and Artemis had been moving and talking cheerfully for a while when Mulch tunneled up in front of them. He gasped and let out a huge loud of dwarf gas before shaking himself and buttoning up his bum flap.  
  
Holly shook her head in dismay and asked hopefully "Was anyone there?"  
  
Mulch nodded. "I didn't actually get invited inside but I was told – very rudely I might add - to tell you that all LEP who were alive or not out fighting were there."  
  
Holly grimaced. "All LEP who are alive? That makes it sound like there are a lot of dead."  
  
Mulch nodded grimly. "That's what I thought but don't get too worried yet Hol. The doorman was a moody bugger. I wouldn't put it past him to make it seem more dramatic than it is."  
  
Holly nodded and sighed. "Okay then. We'll just keep going and see when we get there then." She said unhappily and started leading the way again.

* * *

"There she is," Foaly said and leant back in his new padded swivel chair with a satisfied sigh.  
  
Commander Root nodded and watched on the large screen as Holly Artemis and Mulch approached the doors to LEP Headquarters. Holly hesitated next to the door before knocking a couple of times.  
  
Foaly pressed a button near to him and said "Paitri you may let the three of them in and instruct them to come to the Ops Booth." He then turned to Root. "It seems that Holly didn't get there in time. Although perhaps it's for the best. We might actually benefit from Artemis' help."  
  
Root shrugged. "It would be better if he was still oblivious to us. You can never be too sure that he won't try and trick us again for some extra wealth." He said but only in a half-hearted sort of voice. They had all missed the Fowl boy and him and Foaly both knew it.  
  
"Oh come on Julius. We all know you're glad to have him back." Foaly said tauntingly.  
  
Root snorted and muttered "In your dreams Centaur."  
  
"Whatever you say Julius," Foaly said with a smirk.  
  
"That's _Commander Root_ to you and can you please just go back to your bloody carrots where you belong?" he asked with a slight strain to his voice. That and the veins popping out of his neck were enough to show that he was only just managing to control his anger. His face was slowly turning an unnatural shade of red and his hands were twitching as if he wanted to strangle someone.  
  
Foaly noticed this and smirked again. "Ok then Commander Root"  
  
Root glared at him and snarled "Listen Foaly. Haven is being overrun, many of my soldiers are missing or out of action and I am stuck in this goddamn Ops Booth with you so please do us both a favor and shut up! Is that clear?"  
  
"Crystal," came the reply.  
  
The next few minutes was made in silence as they waited for Holly and when eventually she appeared with Artemis and Mulch in the hallway leading to the Booth Root almost sighed in relief. At least now he would be in some better company.  
  
Foaly pressed a button and the door slid open just as Holly reached the door. She walked in with Artemis and Mulch behind her and the door closed behind them.  
  
"Welcome back Captain," Root said to Holly before turning to Artemis and Mulch. "So, we let you go convict and you immediately go and break the rules again? Technically I could haul your ass straight back to a cell right now." He grinned slyly and Mulch was starting to look increasingly worried.  
  
"You wouldn't do that Julius would you? I helped you a lot a few years ago in some of the Fowl cases. I would have thought we were past all this by now." Mulch said with a seemingly calm tone.  
  
Root snarled. "Don't... Call... Me... JULIUS!!!!" he yelled and made them all jump.  
  
Holly took the time in the silence that followed to intervene. "Commander has trouble come back yet?" she asked quickly and Root grimaced.  
  
"No not yet Short. I was actually hoping he would come back with you. What happened?" he asked.  
  
Holly groaned and then took a deep breath and started. "Well I got to Fowl Manor and landed. I was about to start my search for Mulch when something hit my head from behind. Hard. It knocked me out even through my helmet." She stopped then to glare at Mulch who shifted slightly on the spot and did his best to look innocent. She continued telling the story with Artemis and Mulch adding bits in where she had been unconscious.  
  
Afterwards Foaly let out a low whistle. "Looks like you found yourself an enemy there Holly." He said and then added "If Trouble had come here then I would know about it. We can only hope for the best I'm afraid. But now I have one question for you. Where are dear old Butler and Juliet now?"  
  
"We split up when we were ambushed by goblins. They should be making their way here but they don't really know the way..." Holly answered.  
  
Root stiffened. "Were the goblins carrying silver weapons with two thin red stripes going diagonally down the middle on either side?" he asked tensely.  
  
Holly nodded. "I saw them and I was wondering what model they were." She said curiously.  
  
Root's face seemed to go paler which was unusual for him and worrying for Holly. "They are a complete new model. Foaly's the genius here, he can tell you."  
  
Foaly looked up from his computers and said "Yes well I looked into the weapons and I found out that they are quite probably the most dangerous weapon you could encounter. They have unlimited shots and anyone hit by the weapon will die. I have been searching for a cure to whatever it is that happens when you get shot but I cannot say for sure that I will find one anytime soon, if at all. All I really know is that it isn't the nicest of ways to die. It's painful."  
  
Holly swallowed. "And Butler and Juliet are out there on their own? I know they can look after themselves but not against weapons like that! We have to go and help them."  
  
Root shook her head. "Sorry Holly. It's just not possible. Haven is in serious danger. We need you here to help us fight this."  
  
Holly looked distressed for a moment and suddenly Artemis who had been unusually quiet spoke up. "Can't you just spare Holly for a few hours? All we need to do is show them the way and make sure they aren't attacked while they come. Unless I am very much mistaken Foaly, you want me to help you in trying to find this remedy to the weapon and in thinking of plans?"  
  
Foaly frowned. "Well I did think you could help me incase I needed it," he said awkwardly. He knew what this was leading to.  
  
Artemis nodded. "Well I won't help unless I get something in return."  
  
Foaly nodded. "I knew you would say that. Well Julius? What's the verdict?" he asked.  
  
Root grimaced. "Fine! You have four hours at the most to find, direct and protect the mud men. Captain Short, I suggest that you fly ahead to find them quicker and Fowl can go on foot with another LEP officer to make sure he is not defenseless against any goblins that come his way."  
  
Holly nodded. "Yessir. Which Officer will be coming with us?" she asked.  
  
Root frowned thoughtfully. "I'll let Officer Eaves go along. He's fairly new and he's talented. Mulch, you're staying here. I need to discuss a certain matter of rule breaking with you." He turned away from them but then turned to Foaly. "Foaly have you got any leads on who is helping out the Goblins with their planning?" Foaly shook his head. "Then keep looking. Oh and Foaly. Check up on this Officer Jannie person will you?

* * *

Half an hour later they were standing outside the LEP building. Holly stuck her hand out to Officer Eaves. He had dark brown hair and deep brown eyes and was actually quite good looking.  
  
"I don't think I've met you before. I'm Holly Short." She said.  
  
He nodded and shook her hand. "I've seen you around. I'm Andrew Eaves."  
  
Holly nodded and turned to Artemis. "Ok Fowl. I'll walk to the end of the street with you guys and then I'll go ahead to look from above. Come on then." She said and led the way down the steps.  
  
At the end of the street they stopped and Holly turned to Artemis again. "Have this," she said holding out her Neutrino 2000. "I've got another one that I can use. It's just so you don't go undefended if you get attacked."  
  
Artemis took it and smiled at her. "Alright Captain. Thank you." He said and Holly nodded at him.  
  
She turned on her wings and hovered for a moment. "Watch your back Artemis." She cautioned and then rose higher and left Artemis with Officer Eaves.  
  
Artemis looked at her small frame that was getting gradually smaller and then looked down at the Neutrino 200 in his hand. He smiled to himself and turned to Eaves who was patiently waiting for him to be ready.  
  
They set off down the street keeping their eyes peeled for signs of Butler, Juliet or any Goblins.  
  
Artemis felt slightly uncomfortable with Officer Eaves. They weren't speaking and there was just something about Eaves that seemed wrong.  
  
After a while they reached a fork in the road and Artemis moved forward to look to the left and right. Both ways looked pretty much empty and he wasn't sure which way to go.  
  
A noise behind him made him freeze. He turned his head to look back at Eaves and knew what he would find even before he saw a gun inches away from his face. He cursed himself. He should have seen this coming as soon as he had felt the wrongness around Eaves. He saw Eaves' hand tighten on the gun and knew he was about to fire.  
  
At the last moment he moved quickly to the left just as Eaves pulled the trigger. A loud blast sounded but Artemis had moved just in time. He wasn't used to this sort of thing. Butler had always been there to do this for him and if not Butler then Holly or someone else. He bit his lip as he felt a plan come to his mind. In his mind he thanked Holly as he pulled out the Neutrino 2000 from his belt where he had clipped it.  
  
The next few seconds went so quickly that he barely had time to register anything. The two of them glared at each other and eyed the other person's gun warily. They both had their guns aimed at each other's hearts but neither knew whether to fire or not.  
  
"So mud man. What's going to happen now?" Eaves asked dryly with a smirk.  
  
Artemis sighed. "Who knows? Either you drop your gun and walk away unharmed or we both shoot and one if not both of us will get wounded."  
  
"I was sent to kill you mud man!" he growled. "I won't leave until I have done just that!"  
  
Artemis nodded with outward calm but inside he was starting to worry. "I guess it's the second option then," he said.  
  
Eaves glared and his hand tightened again on his gun. Artemis knew he had no choice but to try and he pulled the trigger just as Eaves did.  
  
Eaves gun made another deafening noise and Artemis's sent a red hot beam towards Eaves. Artemis leapt away to try and dodge the shot he knew was coming but he was too slow. A jolt of pain came above his right hip bone. He fell over and lay there groaning. There was silence now over the street they were in. He hoped Eaves was too wounded to come and finish him off.

* * *

MESSAGES TO REVIWERS:-  
  
Mad Sam- yup I know. But there's someone telling them what to do. It sounds sorta similar to the eternity code but it isn't. Believe me lol. You gotta wait and see though. Thanks for reviewing  
  
WackedOutPet13- awww thanks so much! I like you kind reviewers!! Lol. Thanks for the review! Reviews are the only things that make me want to do more chapters! Sorry I didn't update very fast... I hope you're not crazy!!!!!! Lol. I did make it longer though! Thanks for the review!!!  
  
Phire Phoenix- LOL! Arent we all... hehe. I'm the one who writes the violence. Mwahaha. Hehe thanks for reviewing!!!!  
  
Kitty - I will!!!! I love writing this! The only other stuff I've written I was too embarrase to show anyone so I didn't know if it was good but I now have this site where people can review!! Its so handy! Lol. I wont stop until I finish this!!!! Thanks for the review!!  
  
Asophagoose- Sorry I didn't do it REALLY soon but at least I got it up! Lol. Thanks for reviewing. Your review gave me a huge confidence boost!!! Lol. The A/H is coming along slow but I have NEVER written a romance before so I don't want to rush it and ruin it. I'm trying to keep it gradual. If it gets boring then tell me ok?? Lol Thank you for reviewing!!!!!!  
  
NOTE TO PEOPLE BEFORE THEY REVIEW!!!! Hi. If your about to review then can you please answer these two questions in your review? 1. How is this for chapter length? Should it be longer or shorter or is this fine? 2. I'm clueless about what to name the Goblin's weapons.. If you have ANY idea's at all then please tell me. I'll really appreciate it soooo much.  
  
READ AND REVIEW PLEASE!!! It really inspires me lol. I'll update before I go to France hopefully. Love you all!!! 


	9. Mysterious Healing

I was in a writing mood yesterday so I started doing this chapter this soon! And I woke up this morning and was still in a writing mood so I finished it! I'm on a role :P he he. This chapter has a lot of talking in so sorry if it gets a bit boring. Believe me things WILL be picking up soon!!!! This chapter isnt quite as long as the last one im afraid!!!   
  
CHAPTER 9!!!!!  
  
Disclaimer: The only characters I own are Narela and Eaves and everything else ((except the weapon used by the Goblins which I STILL haven't thought of a name for)) is owned by Eoin Colfer!

* * *

Holly hovered over the fork in the road where Butler and Juliet had split off from them. She looked around for any left over Goblins but couldn't see any living thing at all. She skimmed along only inches from the ground, following the trail that the running Goblins had left. A worried feeling had planted itself in her stomach and would not go away no matter how much she tried to convince herself that they would be alright. She was also worried that something might happen to Artemis.  
  
Sighing she picked up her speed. There was nothing she could do but hope.  
  
A while later she came to another fork where the footprints of the Goblins were tangled together and confusing. The group had split into three parties it seemed. One went left, one went to the right and one smaller one had gone inside a building. The footprints led in, but none came out.  
  
Drawing her weapon she lowered herself quietly to the ground and took a deep breath before entering the house. She looked around the room. There was just one window facing the street but it was smashed and the glass littered the floor. The room itself looked large but it was cast in shadows and Holly couldn't even tell if anyone was there. She walked carefully over to the door, being careful to make very little noise.  
  
She reached out to the door and twisted the handle. She opened it a fraction and peered out. The hall was just as shadowy and she couldn't tell if anyone was there. She held her breath as she entered the hall and began to walk slowly down in. A sudden roar came and a huge someone came charging down the hall towards her with a gun pointing at her. She gasped and the huge figure cam to a stop.  
  
"Holly?" Butler's voice asked.  
  
Holly breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes it's me Butler. Is Juliet with you?"  
  
"Yes. Three Goblins came in after us but I took care of them."  
  
Another figure came into view next to Butler and Holly recognized it as Juliet.  
  
"Well come on then. Lets go outside, I can't see a thing in here!" she said and led the way back outside.  
  
Juliet came out before Butler and she looked around. "Where's Artemis?" she asked.  
  
"Oh he's with an LEP officer looking for you. Let's go find him and then we'll head back to LEP headquarters." She said and then set off back towards where Artemis should be around.  
  
After a while of walking she sighed. "I should really go ahead just to check up on him. I'll be no longer than 20 minutes. If any Goblins come your way, don't let them shoot you or you'll die," she told them and then flicked on her wings and rose upwards.  
  
She began to fly back towards where she had left Artemis and then she could do like she did with the Goblins and follow his trail.  
  
When she reached the end of the street where she had left them, she skimmed the ground yet again and followed their trail as fast as she could. She kept going like this for a while and as she turned a corner she thought she saw something ahead of her at the other end of the street. She flipped down her visor on her helmet and muttered "magnify times ten" and the something that she was looking at grew in size considerably. She gasped. It was officer Eaves! He looked injured.  
  
She picked up her speed and was at his side within seconds. He was lying down with a look of pain on his face. His eyes were closed and he looked dead. His wound was slightly to the right of his heart and when Holly knelt down to examine it; she could see it was from a Neutrino 2000.  
  
That was when she heard a moan coming from a few paces further up the street. She looked up quickly and her eyes widened to see Artemis lying down with his side soaked in blood.  
  
With one last glance at Eaves, she knew she could do nothing for him. He was long dead. She got up and ran to Artemis. His face was paler than ever and his eyes were glazing over. She swore and lifted up his top to see how bad the injury was. Artemis blinked at her and seemed to focus a bit more.  
  
"Holly?" he rasped.  
  
"Hi Artemis. Don't you worry about a thing. I'm going to heal you and take you back to LEP. You'll be fine," she told him in a falsely cheerful voice. Deep down she was actually filled with worry.  
  
"Eaves... attacked me... we shot... each... other," he said between gasps. She could tell he was in a lot of pain.  
  
"Eaves did this?!" she asked in a horrified tone. "Don't worry about any of it Artemis. Just take deep breaths," she said whilst trying to stop the bleeding enough so she could see just how bad it was.  
  
"Thanks Holly." He muttered and attempted a smile but it came out as more of a grimace.  
  
"No problem. Oh and just so you know. Butler and Juliet are going to be fine. I found them." She still wasn't sure what was going to happen to Artemis and she knew that if something did happen to him, that he would be better off dying knowing that his friends would be alright.  
  
A shadow of a smile flicked across his face and he passed out.  
  
It was then that holly allowed a grim look to come on her face. She put her hands near the wound and was about to start healing when she noticed something. She couldn't say what it was. It might have been a slight change in Artemis's expression, or a shift in his position or something completely different but something made her look up at him. His breathing had stopped.  
  
Holly began to panic but she knew she had to stay calm.  
  
"Heal" she muttered and blue sparks began to leave her fingertips and started jumping around Artemis's wound. Artemis began to twitch, gently at first but then increasingly more violently and she had to sit on his legs to make sure he didn't kick her.  
  
As she did this a part of her mind began to drift off from the rest of her. All the memories she shared with Artemis came rushing through her mind as if on a river. She lay there in a trance, one part of her mind fixed in healing Artemis, the other was in a sort of trance. The flow of memories began to slow down and came to a stop on the time only a couple of hours earlier when they had stared into one another's eyes. Then that memory too faded away and Holly was left with a strange feeling inside her. She looked down at Artemis and knew what she had to do to save him.  
  
The sparks coming out of her fingertips began to work faster and had mostly healed the wound now. They began to dance away from the wound until they virtually covered his whole body. He began to shake hard and Holly could barely contain him. Eventually he began to calm down and Holly could get off him. She felt his wrist and a pulse greeted her. His face was looking a bit less pale and his breathing had evened out. She sighed and sat down heavily.  
  
She didn't know what she had just done to heal Artemis but she had never done anything quiet like that before. It had left her feeling weak and tired though and she couldn't help but fall back and black out.

* * *

"Shouldn't Holly be back by now?"  
  
Butler looked at Juliet and nodded. It was 40 minutes after she had left them to find Artemis. He was starting to worry that something might have happened to them.  
  
They kept walking quickly, keeping an eye on the empty buildings and they kept scanning in the air for any sign of Holly. But there was nothing moving that they could see. No Goblins waiting to ambush them, no fairies patrolling the streets with weapons and no Holly flying towards them with news of Artemis and for some reason this aloneness was even more unnerving than being followed by Goblins.  
  
Another 20 minutes passed. It had now been an hour since Holly had left them. Something had to have gone wrong. Juliet was looking worried and pale and Butler was about to ask if she wanted to have a rest when they turned a corner and there was Holly. She was lying on the ground unconscious and looked exhausted. Butler looked around for danger but found none. What he did fin was an unconscious Artemis with blood stained clothes.  
  
Almost instantly Butler was by his side checking his pulse, temperature, breathing and looking at his wound. The wound was barely a scar now and everything about Artemis seemed to be fine. He looked as if he was just sleeping. Butler turned to Holly and knew that she was probably just exhausted from healing him but he checked her anyway.  
  
When he was sure she was alright too he turned back to Artemis. Artemis's eyes were open and he was looking at Holly with a strange expression on his face. Butler moved towards him and Artemis blinked and looked up at Butler with a smile on his face.  
  
"Hello Butler," he said hoarsely.  
  
Butler smiled back at him and was about to ask what had happened but changed his mind. He could ask Artemis later when he had rested.  
  
Juliet was kneeling next to Holly and Butler asked her "Would you be able to carry her back and I'll take Artemis?"  
  
Juliet nodded. Holly was small and thin and Juliet should be able to carry her with almost no trouble at all.  
  
They followed Artemis's muttered directions back to LEP Headquarters and were before too long standing outside the huge door. It opened and a wide fairy with huge muscles showed them in and a sprite came up to them.  
  
He smiled at them and said "Welcome to LEP Headquarters. I am Chix Verbil and you of course are the Butlers!" He grinned and glanced first at Artemis then at Holly. His smile faded when he saw the unconscious fairy. "What happened to Holly?" he asked quickly and before they had time to answer he said "Follow me. I'll take you to the medical ward. It's almost full but I'm sure they have two beds to spare."  
  
He led the way up some stairs and along a corridor and up some more stairs until eventually he stopped outside a pair of double doors which he opened and led them through. He spoke quickly to a nurse who immediately directed Butler and Juliet to two beds opposite each other. They were then told to sit down on some of the chairs in a waiting room and stay there while Holly and Artemis were seen to.  
  
An hour later a nurse came out to see them. She sat down opposite them and smiled. "They are fine. Holly is just extremely exhausted from healing like that and Artemis just needs time to recover. They should both be up and about within a couple of days."  
  
Butler sighed in relief and Juliet was beaming.  
  
"However." The nurse said and a slightly confused look passed across her face. "Before Holly healed Artemis, it appears that his heart stopped. We don't know what happened next but Holly did something while she was healing that we have never seen the likes of before. It is a minor worry but we cannot work out what has happened. Perhaps when they awake we will be able to find out more and until then I suggest you do not bother yourselves over it. The only thing is that we are oblivious to what effects this could have on the two of them."  
  
Juliet was looking stunned and after a moment of furious thinking she gave up trying to work out what could happen. Butler was also looking slightly confused but he just simply said "Can we see them?"  
  
The nurse nodded and waved her hand towards the room they had been in previously.  
  
When they walked in Holly was sitting up looking around. Artemis was asleep. Holly caught sight of them and smiled.  
  
"I see you made it alright then. I was wondering how I got here," she said.  
  
Juliet grinned and went to sit on a chair near her. "Yep that's right fairy girl. I carried you all the way back here!" she said cheerfully.  
  
Butler walked over and sat next to her. "What happened back there Holly?" he asked.  
  
Holly frowned thoughtfully. "I found Artemis with the wound so I don't know exactly what happened. Artemis said that Officer Eaves attacked him before he passed out. They must have shot each other but Artemis was the lucky one because I found Eaves dead nearby."  
  
The door to the room opened and they all looked around just as Foaly walked in. He stood at the foot of Holly's bed holding a folder filled with papers.  
  
Before they had a chance to speak Holly spoke. "Foaly I forgot to ask you this earlier. Where is everyone? Since I came to Haven the only fairies I have seen are LEP."  
  
Foaly nodded as if he had expected that question. "By the time we found out about the Goblins there wasn't much we could do to save some of them. We got as many as we could to come to LEP Headquarters and most of them are in the emergency tunnels underneath this building. Not many people know about them and we thought they would be the safest places to keep the citizens of Haven. Although we did save many, we couldn't save everyone." He said sadly.  
  
Holly nodded and Butler spoke up. "Where are the Goblins now?"  
  
Foaly grimaced. "We aren't sure. Usually we have no idea as to where they are until they just suddenly all charge at once."  
  
"Do you have any leads at all?" Butler asked.  
  
"Well the abandoned shutes seem a likely place or some of the old abandoned buildings on the outside of Haven. We cannot send anyone to investigate though because of the weapons the Goblin's carry." Butlers blank look made Foaly add, "They have a 100% guarantee to kill anyone they hit. One hit from them and you die."  
  
Juliet shifted slightly in her seat as if she was itching to ask something. Foaly raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
"Did you find anything out about Officer Jannie?" she asked quickly.  
  
Foaly's brow creased. "My computers came up with no results for an Officer Jannie. I did run through the description you gave me of her and there was a match." He rifled through the papers in his folder and pulled out a sheet. "This her?" he asked holding it up.  
  
Juliet studied the picture for a moment and nodded. "I think so. Her hair wasn't tied up like that and she looked older but I'm almost definite that's her!" she said happily.  
  
Foaly grimaced. "Officer Narela. She joined the LEP a while ago but has been off work for months now because of the death of her parents. She came back a week ago and seemed eager to be picked for the mission. Very talented girl. She passed all her fitness tests with amazing marks and she has proved to be intelligent and brave too. Not a very good person to have as your enemy." He said looking slightly smug that he could show off his knowledge about LEP officers.  
  
Holly grimaced. She had certainly made an enemy of that girl. "One last question. What about Trouble?"  
  
Foaly's face turned grim. "There is nothing we can do. We can hope he returns or hope we find something to indicate where he is but there is nothing more we can do I'm afraid."  
  
Holly bit her lip and nodded sadly.  
  
"Now I have a question for you Holly." Foaly said. Holly looked up and he asked "What did you do while you were healing Artemis to mystify the nurses so much?"  
  
Holly looked confused. "I don't know. I was healing him and I started remembering a load of the stuff that we did together before. All the missions we did and then he got covered in my healing sparks and then I passed out."  
  
Foaly nodded. "I'll check into it for you." He looked around at everyone and added "Until then Holly and Artemis need rest so I suggest you all hop off to get something to eat or something and leave them in peace!" he said and walked out.

* * *

Not the best of endings... but so.  
  
Only one reviewer this time! But I suppose that's because the chapters only been up for less than a day! Lol  
  
WackedOutPet13- I posted! You don't have to go beserk! Lol I'm glad the chapter length was ok. Anymore than that and my fingers would fall off!!! Hehe it doesn't matter. Sooner or later I'll have a brainwave and be able to think of what to name the "goblin shooter thingys" lol! Thanks for reviewing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hope you like this chapter!  
  
I'll hopefully keep writing as fast as I did for this chapter because then I should get in at least 2 chapters by the time I go to France. READ AND REVIEW PLEEEASE!!!! 


	10. Another Authors note It's different to t...

Ok… first of all... I am sooo sorry. I'm ashamed of myself! I always hated it when authors just stopped writing… in the middle of a story. I told myself that I would NEVER do this, but it's just so incredibly hard to start a story up again once you've stopped. And believe me I have tried! I get the occasional review still and whenever one comes, I sit myself down and I force myself to write to please the reviewer, but all my original plans for this story have been long forgotten and I'm struggling to find not only new plans, but new inspiration. Because it's hard to write without actually wanting to. I really do want to want to write, but I just can't force myself to want to.

But don't think I'm giving up on this! I promise I wont! And I know I promised before that I'd update within a few weeks and I didn't, but I honestly will update as soon as I can. I'm slowly getting through this chapter bit by bit and I'm gonna have a sit down over Easter to think through where I want this story to go. And once I've done that it'll be A LOT easier.

Just one last thing I want to clear up before I stop boring you… I know I decided before that this is gonna be a Holly/Artemis story, and I'm still happy to do that if it's what you want BUT, I've acknowledged the fact that my WAY too long absence has obviously lost me some of my old reviewers and as much as I really hope that hasn't happened, it probably has. And my writing has to do two things. 1. Appeal to me and 2. Appeal to my readers. Since I don't particularly mind whether this is a H/A or not, I'm basing it on number 2. And if I have any new readers after posting this and my old ones have gone (hopefully not...), then I'm gonna have to write to appeal to them. So I just wanna know if your all still happy with it being H/A.

If it does stick as H/A then I'm gonna have to decide how to deal with the life-expectancy difference… I had a plan for getting around it before which I vaguely remember but it's just gonna be so hard to do. But I'm up to doing it so long as that's what you all want. So please, review so I know. I honestly will try and get this up within the next month – but I'm not promising anything because I'm not that reliable.

So once again, I'm so sorry for this and I hope you haven't all forgotten this story and that you won't all kill me now. I really do appreciate all the reviews you've sent me, and the support I've had for this so far. I know I've kinda let you all done but I will finish this, and I will hopefully make it good enough to make up for the long pause in writing.

So I'll speak to you all soon, and thanks everyone so much for your reviews. They really do make my day!


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